1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to modular support structures for utilities, and more particularly, to reconfigurable utilities support structures disposed between the floor and the subfloor of a clean room.
2. Description of Related Art
A manufacturer of wafers for semiconductors, semiconductor fabricators and numerous other industries require a clean room within which to house manufacturing and/or fabricating equipment.
Conventionally, all utilities relating to clean room equipment, including electrical power and data transmission lines, and conduits conveying various gases and liquids, are routed to and from each piece of equipment through a space between the clean room floor and a subfloor. Whenever there is a change in equipment due to a change in production run, upgrading of equipment, etc., various of the transmission lines and conduits may have to be removed, added or rerouted.
The conventional support structure for conveying transmission lines and conduits to equipment disposed in the clean room incorporates vertical round posts bolted to a concrete subfloor for supporting both the floor of the clean room and extended horizontal supports attached by clamps. The supports support the various transmission lines and conduits. When the need to reroute transmission lines and/or conduits arises, the vertical posts may have to be relocated, further vertical posts may have to be added or existing vertical posts may have to be removed. Such addition or removal contemplates drilling holes in the concrete subfloor to receive bolts for retaining the base of each post. Such drilling creates dust that permeates everywhere and debris that must be cleaned up. For purposes of a clean room, such dust and debris may be fatal to the operation unless extraordinary efforts are undertaken to remove or control the dust and debris. Additionally, horizontal supports will have to be added or removed to conform with the added, removed or rerouted transmission lines and conduits along with attendant clamps for securing the transmission lines and conduits at the respective locations on the supports. This work, en toto, requires the services of numerous tradesmen having different technical skills. Because different technical skills must be used in predetermined order, any delays or problems experienced in one phase will result in inefficient use of technicians having other skills which cannot be exercised until completion of a previous work product.
Moreover, each new installation or reworked installation tends to have uniquely and nonuniformly sized supports and clamps for the transmission lines and conduits. Such nonuniformity is exacerbated by the number of reinstallations necessary for any change of equipment. The nonuniformity of an installation renders it impossible to make changes at a single location to accommodate installation/removal of new equipment in the clean room without extensive rerouting of numerous transmission lines and conduits. A nonuniform installation also renders it difficult and tedious to locate the particular transmission lines and conduits necessary to perform the installation/removal of equipment.